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123-545: The Ausbund ("Paragon" in German) is the oldest Anabaptist hymnal and one of the oldest Christian song books in continuous use. It is used today by North American Amish congregations. The core of the Ausbund is based on fifty-one songs written by Anabaptists from Passau , Bavaria . Eleven of these songs were written by their leader, Michael Schneider. Twelve others may have been written by Hans Betz. The hymns were composed in

246-713: A New Jerusalem , and their pacifist brethren, later broadly known as Mennonites. Radical Anabaptist groups included the Münsterites and the Batenburgers , who persisted in various guises as late as the 1570s. Bohemian Brothers The church's heritage can be traced to 1457 and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown , which included Bohemia , Moravia , Silesia , and previously the Hussite movement against several practices and doctrines of

369-713: A Brüdergemeine that still exists today in Neuwied on the Rhine. Moravian historians identify the main achievements of this period as: Along with the Royal Danish Mission College , the Moravian missionaries were the first large-scale Protestant missionary movement . They sent out the first missionaries when there were only 300 inhabitants in Herrnhut. Within 30 years, the church sent hundreds of Christian missionaries to many parts of

492-563: A Unity Province. (The links below connect to articles about the history of the church in specific provinces after 1732, where written.) In the Czech Republic and Honduras splits occurred within the churches after charismatic revivals ; non-charismatic minorities formed their own bodies, but both sides remained connected to the international church. The minority communities are listed as "mission provinces". Other areas with missions but that are not yet established as Provinces are: Tanzania

615-901: A band of 241 Christianized Lenape . In 1771, Moravians established a settlement at Nain, Labrador , which became a permanent settlement and the Moravian headquarters in Labrador. The mission stations expanded to Okak (1776), Hopedale (1782), Hebron at Kauerdluksoak Bay (1830–1959), serving also Napartok Bay and Saeglek Bay , Zoar (1864–1889), Ramah (1871–1908), Makkovik (1896), and Killiniq on Cape Chidley island (1905–1925). Two further stations were added after this period at Happy Valley near Goose Bay (1957) and North West River (1960). Colonies were founded in North Carolina, where Moravians led by Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg purchased 98,985 acres (40,058 ha) from John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville . This large tract of land

738-434: A confession of faith that is freely chosen and so rejected baptism of infants. The New Testament teaches to repent and then be baptized, and infants are not able to repent and turn away from sin to a life of following Jesus. The early members of this movement did not accept the name Anabaptist, claiming that infant baptism was not part of scripture and was therefore null and void. They said that baptizing self-confessed believers

861-607: A congregation) usually meets twice a year and annually elects the Joint Board of Elders and Trustees that acts as an executive. In some provinces two or more congregations may be grouped into circuits, under the care of one minister. The Unity Synod meets every seven years and is attended by delegates from the different Unity Provinces and affiliated Provinces. The Unity Board is made up of one member from each Provincial Board, and acts as an executive committee between Unity Synods. It meets three times between Synods but much of its work

984-540: A danger to religious stability. The persecution of Anabaptists was condoned by the ancient laws of Theodosius I and Justinian I which were passed against the Donatists , and decreed the death penalty for anyone who practised rebaptism. Martyrs Mirror , by Thieleman J. van Braght, describes the persecution and execution of thousands of Anabaptists in various parts of Europe between 1525 and 1660. Continuing persecution in Europe

1107-474: A decline in the population from over 3 million to some 800,000 people. By 1622, the entire education system was in the hands of Jesuits, and all Protestant schools were closed. The Brethren were forced to go underground, and eventually dispersed across Northern Europe as far as the Low Countries , where their bishop , John Amos Comenius , attempted to direct a resurgence. The largest remaining communities of

1230-551: A legacy of the Unity of the Brethren . In order to preserve the succession, three Bohemian Brethren were consecrated bishops by Bishop Stephen of Austria , a Waldensian bishop who had been ordained by a Roman Catholic bishop in 1434. These three consecrated bishops returned to Litice in Bohemia and then ordained other brothers, thereby preserving the historic episcopate. In Berlin, 1735,

1353-465: A letter to Thomas Müntzer in 1524: "True Christian believers are sheep among wolves, sheep for the slaughter ... Neither do they use worldly sword or war, since all killing has ceased with them." Anabaptists are considered to have begun with the Radical Reformation in the 16th century, but historians classify certain people and groups as their forerunners because of a similar approach to

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1476-571: A literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount share in common the following affirmations: On December 27, 1521, three "prophets" from Zwickau appeared in Wittenberg who were influenced by (and, in turn, influencing) Thomas Müntzer  – Thomas Dreschel, Nicholas Storch , and Mark Thomas Stübner. They preached an apocalyptic, radical alternative to Lutheranism . Their preaching helped to stir

1599-403: A literary viewpoint the content of the Ausbund is of limited quality, yet witnesses of a deep religious belief and sacrificial devotion of the believers. The Ausbund contains no notes; most of the songs were sung to popular melodies. According to the research of George Pullen Jackson , some melodies came from folk and love songs and others from chorales and hymns. The oldest melodies are from

1722-512: A mission in 1740 at the Mohican village of Shekomeko in present-day Dutchess County, New York . The converted Mohican people formed the first native Christian congregation in the present-day United States of America. Because of local hostility from New Yorkers to the Mohicans, the Moravian support of the Mohicans led to rumors of them being secret Jesuits , trying to ally the Mohicans with France in

1845-449: A request and desire, Conrad baptized him, since at that time there was no ordained minister to perform such work. Afterwards Blaurock was baptized, and he in turn baptized others at the meeting. Even though some had rejected infant baptism before this date, these baptisms marked the first re-baptisms of those who had been baptized as infants and thus Swiss Anabaptism was born on that day. Anabaptism appears to have come to Tyrol through

1968-594: A revolt with the unplanned Defenestrations of Prague . The Protestants were defeated in 1620 in the Battle of White Mountain near Prague, known as the first battle in the Thirty Years' War. As a consequence, the local Protestant noblemen were either executed or expelled from the country, while the Habsburgs placed Roman Catholic, and mostly German-speaking nobility in their place. The war, plague, and subsequent disruption led to

2091-619: A series of Hussite Wars , initially between various Roman Catholic rulers and the Hussites. Then there was a Hussite civil war, between the more compromising Utraquists and the radical Taborites . In 1434, an army of Utraquists and Roman Catholics defeated the Taborites at the Battle of Lipany . The Utraquists signed the Compacts of Basel on 5 July 1436. Within 50 years of Hus's death, a contingent of his followers had become independently organised as

2214-536: Is divided into seven provinces because of the size of country and the numbers of people in the church. The "Moravian Church in Tanzania" co-ordinates the work in the nation. The lists above, except for some details given under 'Other areas', can be found in The Moravian Almanac . Each province is governed by a synod , made up of representatives from each congregation plus ex officio members. The Synod elects

2337-550: Is done by correspondence and postal voting. The President of the Unity Board (who is elected by the Board for two years and not allowed to serve for more than two terms) works from his/her own Provincial office. The Unity Business Administrator is an officer appointed by the Unity Board to administer the day-to-day affairs of the Unity through the office of the Unity. Ordained ministry in

2460-741: Is opposed to baptism of infants , who are not able to make a conscious decision to be baptized. The early Anabaptists formulated their beliefs in a confession of faith in 1527 called the Schleitheim Confession . Its author Michael Sattler was arrested and executed shortly afterward. Anabaptist groups varied widely in their specific beliefs, but the Schleitheim Confession represents foundational Anabaptist beliefs as well as any single document can. Other Christian groups with different roots also practice believer's baptism, such as Baptists , but these groups are not Anabaptist, even though

2583-449: Is said to have brought more people into early Anabaptism than all the other Anabaptist evangelists of his time put together. However, there may have been confusion about what his baptism (at least some of the times it was done by making the sign of the Tau on the forehead) may have meant to the recipient. Some seem to have taken it as a sign by which they would escape the apocalyptical revenge of

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2706-422: Is seen as a forerunner of South German Anabaptism because of his reforming theology that rejected many Catholic practices, including infant baptism. However, Karlstadt is not known to have been "rebaptized", nor to have taught it. Hans Denck and Hans Hut, both with German mystical background (in connection with Thomas Müntzer) both accepted "rebaptism", but Denck eventually backed off from the idea under pressure. Hut

2829-561: Is sung at beginning of each Amish worship service. The first song of the Ausbund is from the pen of Sebastian Franck . The song teaches that Christians should sing in spirit and truth, pray and praise God with Psalms. The second song is an adaptation of the Athanasian Creed . Songs 6, 7 and 8 are written by Felix Manz , Michael Sattler and Hans Hut , all Anabaptist martyrs. Other martyr songs are by Leonhard Schiemer , Hans Schlaffer, George Blaurock and Hans Leupold, who were among

2952-741: Is the Lamb of God ( Agnus Dei ) with the flag of victory, surrounded by the Latin inscription " Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur " ('Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow Him'). Apart from the Moravian Church, the more conservative Unity of the Brethren , based in Texas, as well as the Czechoslovak Hussite Church , based in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are denominations in the same Hussite-Moravian theological tradition. The Hussite movement that

3075-523: Is the theory that the Anabaptists are of Waldensian origin. Some hold the idea that the Waldensians are part of the apostolic succession, while others simply believe they were an independent group out of whom the Anabaptists arose. Ludwig Keller , Thomas M. Lindsay, Henry Clay Vedder , Delbert Grätz, John T. Christian and Thieleman J. van Braght (author of Martyrs Mirror ) all held, in varying degrees,

3198-557: The Stäbler (staff-bearing). Wiedemann and those with him also promoted the practice of community of goods . With orders from the lords of Liechtenstein to leave Nikolsburg, about 200 Stäbler withdrew to Moravia to form a community at Austerlitz . Persecution in South Tyrol brought many refugees to Moravia, many of whom formed into communities that practised community of goods. Others came from Silesia , Switzerland, German lands, and

3321-704: The Unitas Fratrum 's three orders of episcopal ordination, The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren and the Czechoslovak Hussite Church also continue the Hussite tradition in the Czech Republic and Slovakia today. They only account for 0.8% of the Czech population , which is 79.4% non-religious, and 10.4% Catholic. In 1722, a small group of the Bohemian Brethren, the "Hidden Seed", who had been living in northern Moravia , as an illegal underground remnant surviving in

3444-518: The Americas and Africa , that is reflected in their broad global distribution. Moravians continue many of the same practices established in the 18th century, including placing a high value on a personal conversion to Christ, called the New Birth , and piety , good works , evangelism , including the establishment of missions, Christian pacifism , ecumenism , and music . The Moravian Church's emblem

3567-570: The Ausbund . In the 16th and 17th centuries the hymnals were published in Cologne and the Rhineland . In the 18th and 19th centuries new editions appeared in Basel und Strasbourg . The last European edition was printed in Basel in 1838. The first American Ausbund appeared in 1742 and was printed at Christopher Saur's Germantown press. Mennonite Bishop Henry Funck was the publisher of this hymnal, which

3690-650: The Biblical town in Judea . There, they ministered to the Algonquian-speaking Lenape . Bethlehem, Pennsylvania , is today the seventh-largest city in Pennsylvania, having developed as a major industrial city in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1772, the first European-Native American settlement of what later became Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania , occurred when Reverend John Ettwein, a Moravian missionary, arrived there with

3813-672: The Catholic Church . Its name is derived from exiles who fled from Moravia to Saxony in 1722 to escape the Counter-Reformation , establishing the Christian community of Herrnhut . Hence, it is also known in German as the [Herrnhuter] Brüdergemeine [ sic ] ("Unity of Brethren [of Herrnhut]"). The modern Unitas Fratrum has about one million members worldwide, continuing their tradition of missionary work , such as in

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3936-661: The Christian Hymnary where it is used in many Conservative Mennonite worship services. The oldest songs from the Ausbund are mainly about the suffering church in a hostile environment. At the center stand those serious Christians who are prepared to die for their faith. They reflect not only grief and despair , but also the understanding of God's presence. There are always more reasons to thank God as one pours out their troubles. Among others, song number 131, O Gott, Vater, wir loben dich und deine Güte preisen wir (O God, Father, we praise you and your kindness we praise), today

4059-663: The Dano-Norwegian Empire . While attending the coronation of Christian VI of Denmark-Norway in 1730, Zinzendorf was profoundly struck by two Inuit converts of Hans Egede 's mission in Greenland and also by an African from the West Indies . The first Moravian mission was established on the Caribbean island of St Thomas in 1732 by a potter named Johann Leonhard Dober and a carpenter named David Nitschmann , who later became

4182-547: The Dunkard Brethren Church , Conservative Mennonites and Beachy Amish have retained traditional religious practices and theology, while allowing for judicious use of modern conveniences and advanced technology. Emphasizing an adherence to the beliefs of early Christianity , as a whole Anabaptists are distinguished by their keeping of practices that often include nonconformity to the world, "the love feast with feet washing, laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and

4305-503: The Greek ἀναβαπτισμός : ἀνά 're-' and βαπτισμός ' baptism '; German : Täufer , earlier also Wiedertäufer ) is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation in the 16th century. Anabaptists believe that baptism is valid only when candidates freely confess their faith in Christ and request to be baptized. Commonly referred to as believer's baptism , it

4428-503: The Lord's Supper and a focus on eschatology . Songs in this last topic include Büchl's (Nr. 46): Ain new christelich Lied von der gegenwardig schröcklichen letzten Dagen, in welchen so vil verschieden secten, auffrührerisch und falsche Propheten erschainen, auch blutdirstige tyrannen (A new Christian song from the current terrible last days, in which many different sects, rebellious and false prophets and bloodthirsty tyrants appear). Until 1809

4551-461: The Low Countries . Hoffman had picked up Lutheran and Reformed ideas, but on April 23, 1530, he was "re-baptized" at Strasbourg and within two months had gone to Emden and baptized about 300 persons. For several years Hoffman preached in the Low Countries until he was arrested and imprisoned at Strasbourg, where he died about 10 years later. Hoffman's apocalyptic ideas were indirectly related to

4674-519: The Moravian University and Seminary. The largest concentration of Moravians today is in Tanzania . The motto of the Moravian Church is: " In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, love ". Some Moravian scholars point to a different formula as a guide to constructive debate about faith. This formula was first advanced by Luke of Prague (1460–1528), one of the bishops of

4797-538: The Münster rebellion , even though he was "of a different spirit". Obbe and Dirk Philips had been baptized by disciples of Jan Matthijs but were opposed to the violence that occurred at Münster. Obbe later became disillusioned with Anabaptism and withdrew from the movement in about 1540, but not before ordaining David Joris , his brother Dirk, and Menno Simons. Joris and Simons parted ways, with Joris placing more emphasis on "spirit and prophecy", while Menno emphasized

4920-407: The New Birth . Anabaptists heavily emphasize the importance of obedience in the salvation journey of a believer. As a whole, Anabaptists emphasize an adherence to the beliefs of early Christianity and are thus distinguished by their keeping of practices that often include the observance of feetwashing , the holy kiss , and communion (with these three ordinances being practiced collectively in

5043-569: The Protestant Reformation by a century, some historians claim the Moravian Church was the first Protestant church. The movement gained support from the Crown of Bohemia . However, Hus was summoned to attend the Council of Constance , which decided that he was a heretic. Hus was released to the secular authority, which sentenced him to be burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. From 1419 to 1437 were

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5166-503: The Rhenish Missionary Society , was eventually transferred to the Moravian Church. The Moravians sought to unify the converts into "one people" living together with the same religious beliefs. Zeisberger, a significant Moravian missionary, implored the converts to remember that they were "one people not two." The modern Moravian Church, with about 750,000 members worldwide, continues to draw on traditions established during

5289-510: The Saxon rulers and enjoyed great autonomy, especially in religious questions. The refugees established a new village called Herrnhut , about 2 miles (3 km) from Berthelsdorf. The town initially grew steadily, but major religious disagreements emerged and by 1727 the community was divided into factions. Count Zinzendorf worked to bring about unity in the town, and the Brotherly Agreement

5412-517: The Vistula delta Mennonites integrating some other Mennonites mainly from northern Germany. In the late 18th century, several thousand of them migrated from there to Ukraine (which at the time was part of Russia) forming the so-called Russian Mennonites . Beginning in 1874, many of them emigrated to the prairie states and provinces of the United States and Canada. In the 1920s, the conservative faction of

5535-723: The dungeon of Passau Castle , where the Anabaptists were imprisoned between 1535 and 1540 because of their convictions. Some—among them Hans Betz—did not survive the imprisonment. Many of these imprisoned Anabaptists were martyred . The collection was printed in 1564. A copy of this first printing is found at the Mennonite Historical Library of Goshen College , bearing the title Etliche schöne christliche Gesäng wie dieselbigen zu Passau von den Schweizer Brüdern in der Gefenknus im Schloss durch göttliche Gnade gedicht und gesungen warden. Ps. 139 (Several Beautiful Christian Songs Which Were Written and Sung Through God's Grace by

5658-713: The forced removal of the Cherokees to Oklahoma, this mission was replaced in 1842 by New Springplace in Oaks, Oklahoma . Due to Civil War -related violence, New Springplace closed in 1862 and resumed during the 1870s. In 1898, the Moravian Church discontinued their missionary engagement with the Cherokees and New Springplace, now the Oaks Indian Mission, was transferred to the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church . The start of far-flung missionary work necessitated

5781-652: The interpretation and application of the Bible. For instance, Petr Chelčický , a 15th-century Bohemian reformer, taught most of the beliefs considered integral to Anabaptist theology. Medieval antecedents may include the Brethren of the Common Life , the Hussites , Dutch Sacramentists, and some forms of monasticism . The Waldensians also represent a faith similar to the Anabaptists. Medieval dissenters and Anabaptists who held to

5904-435: The kingdom of God , not of earthly governments. As committed followers of Jesus, they seek to pattern their life after his. Some former groups who practiced rebaptism, now extinct, believed otherwise and complied with these requirements of civil society. They were thus technically Anabaptists, even though conservative Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, and many historians consider them outside Anabaptism. Conrad Grebel wrote in

6027-611: The lovefeast in the Schwarzenau Brethren and River Brethren traditions), Christian headcovering , nonconformity to the world , nonresistance , forgiveness, and sharing possessions, which in certain communities (as with the Bruderhof) takes on the form of communal living . Different types exist among the Anabaptists, although the categorizations tend to vary with the scholar's viewpoint on origins. Estep claims that in order to understand Anabaptism, one must "distinguish between

6150-485: The "Bohemian Brethren" ( Čeští bratři ) or Unity of the Brethren ( Jednota bratrská ), which was founded in Kunvald , Bohemia, in 1457. A brother known as Gregory the Patriarch was very influential in forming the group, as well as the teachings of Peter Chelcicky . This group held to a strict obedience to the Sermon on the Mount , which included non-swearing of oaths, non-resistance, and not accumulating wealth. Because of this, they considered themselves separate from

6273-439: The 13th and 14th centuries. As with most Christian hymnbooks, the Amish normally use the Ausbund only in church. Their traditional melodies are called "slow tunes", but they put other melodies on the words during singing. Author Joseph Yoder compared the slow tempo of the music as it is sung today to Gregorian Chant , but this was not always the case. The Amish slow tunes of the 20th century are probably descended from tunes that

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6396-405: The 18th-century renewal. In many places it observes the convention of the lovefeast , originally started in 1727. It uses older and traditional music in worship. Brass music, congregational singing and choral music continue to be very important in Moravian congregations. In some older congregations, Moravians are buried in a traditional God's Acre , a graveyard with only flat gravestones, signifying

6519-434: The Anabaptist movement to have developed from the Swiss Brethren movement. They generally argue that Anabaptism had its origins in Zürich and that the Anabaptism of the Swiss Brethren was transmitted to southern Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and northern Germany, where it developed into its various branches. The monogenesis theory usually rejects the Münsterites and other radicals from the category of true Anabaptists. In

6642-489: The Anabaptists, inspirationists, and rationalists". He classes the likes of Blaurock, Grebel, Hubmaier, Manz, Marpeck, and Simons as Anabaptists. He groups Müntzer and Storch as inspirationists, and anti-trinitarians such as Michael Servetus , Juan de Valdés , Sebastian Castellio , and Faustus Socinus as rationalists . Mark S. Ritchie follows this line of thought, saying, "The Anabaptists were one of several branches of 'Radical' reformers (i.e. reformers that went further than

6765-421: The Anabaptists, with Manz becoming the first Anabaptist martyr in 1527. On May 20 or 21, 1527, Roman Catholic authorities executed Michael Sattler . King Ferdinand declared drowning (called the third baptism ) "the best antidote to Anabaptism". The Tudor regime, even the Protestant monarchs ( Edward VI of England and Elizabeth I of England), persecuted Anabaptists as they were deemed too radical and therefore

6888-401: The Baptist tradition was influenced by the Anabaptist view of Baptism. The Amish , Hutterites , and Mennonites are direct descendants of the early Anabaptist movement. Schwarzenau Brethren , River Brethren , Bruderhof , and the Apostolic Christian Church are Anabaptist denominations that developed well after the Radical Reformation, following their example. Though all Anabaptists share

7011-400: The Brethren were located in Leszno ( German : Lissa ) in Poland , which had historically strong ties with the Czechs, and small, isolated groups in Moravia . The latter are referred to as "the Hidden Seed", which John Amos Comenius had prayed would preserve the evangelical faith in the land of the fathers. In addition to the Renewed Unitas Fratrum or Moravian Church, which preserves

7134-477: The Canadian settlers went to Mexico and Paraguay. Beginning in the 1950s, the most conservative of them started to migrate to Bolivia. In 1958, Mexican Mennonites migrated to Belize. Since the 1980s, traditional Russian Mennonites migrated to Argentina. Smaller groups went to Brazil and Uruguay. In 2015, some Mennonites from Bolivia settled in Peru. In 2018, there are more than 200,000 of them living in colonies in Central and South America. Although Moravian Anabaptism

7257-510: The Catholic Habsburg rulers, to come to the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and establish a number of Roman Catholic educational institutions. One of these was the university in the Moravian capital of Olomouc . In 1582, they forced the closure of local Protestant schools. In 1617, Emperor Matthias had his fiercely Roman Catholic brother Ferdinand of Styria elected as King of Bohemia. In the year that followed, Protestant Bohemian noblemen, in fear of losing their religious freedom, instigated

7380-601: The Catholic setting of the Habsburg Empire for nearly 100 years, arrived at the Berthelsdorf estate of Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf in present-day Saxony in the eastern part of modern-day Germany . Out of a personal commitment to helping the poor and needy, von Zinzendorf, a nobleman who had been brought up in the traditions of Pietistic Lutheranism , agreed to a request from their leader, Christian David , an itinerant carpenter, that they be allowed to settle on his lands in Upper Lusatia in Saxony. The Margraviates of Upper and Lower Lusatia were governed in personal union by

7503-420: The Church is organised into Unity Provinces, Mission Provinces and Mission Areas and four regions of Africa, Caribbean and Latin America, Northern America, and Europe. The categorisation is based on the level of independence of the province. Unity Province implies a total level of independence, Mission Province implies a partial level of supervision from a Unity Province, and Mission Area implies full supervision by

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7626-419: The Deacon may be consecrated as a Presbyter. Presbyters function in the local congregation in the same manner as deacons, but may also serve to mentor deacons and may be assigned to other leadership roles in a particular province. An acolyte is a layperson who has received approval to assist the pastor in a specific local congregation. The acolyte may assist in the serving of Holy Communion but may not consecrate

7749-521: The European Ausbund was distributed with no indication of location or publisher. From 1692 the government of Bern forbade the distribution or possession of this hymnal and ordered its confiscation under threat of severe punishment. The American edition contains the confession of faith of Thomas von Imbroich (1558) entitled Wahrhaftigen Bericht über die große Trübsal, die die Geschwister rund um Zürich für ihre Glaubenssache zwischen 1635 und 1645 zu erleiden hatten (a collection of martyr stories). From

7872-431: The Low Countries. With the passing of time and persecution, all the other versions of Anabaptism would die out in Moravia leaving only the Hutterites. Even the Hutterites would be dissipated by persecution, with a remnant fleeing to Transylvania , then to Ukraine, and finally to North America in 1874. South German Anabaptism had its roots in German mysticism . Andreas Karlstadt, who first worked alongside Martin Luther,

7995-444: The Mennonites, teach "true faith entails a new birth, a spiritual regeneration by God's grace and power; 'believers' are those who have become the spiritual children of God." In Anabaptist theology, the pathway to salvation is "marked not by a forensic understanding of salvation by ' faith alone ', but by the entire process of repentance, self-denial, faith rebirth and obedience." Those who wish to tarry this path receive baptism after

8118-459: The Moravian Church emphasizes the pastoral role. A candidate for ministry who has been approved by their home province and has completed the prescribed course of study, usually a Master of Divinity degree in the US and Europe, may be ordained a Deacon upon acceptance of a call. Deacons may serve in a pastoral office and administer sacraments. A deacon is normally supervised by a presbyter who serves as mentor. After several years of satisfactory service,

8241-408: The Münster Uprising ) in 1855. Baptist historian Albert Henry Newman , who Harold S. Bender said occupied "first position in the field of American Anabaptist historiography", made a major contribution with his A History of Anti-Pedobaptism (1897). Three main theories on origins of the Anabaptists are the following: Some scholars (e.g. Harold S. Bender, William Estep, Robert Friedmann) consider

8364-407: The Provincial Board (aka Provincial Elders' Conference or PEC ) to be responsible for the work of the province and its international links between synods. Many, but not all, of the provinces are divided into districts. Each congregation belongs to a district and has spiritual and financial responsibilities for work in its own area as well as provincially. The Congregation Council (all the members of

8487-630: The Swiss Brethren in the Passau Castle Prison). The printed hymnal must have been widely circulated. By the Frankenthaler Colloquiums (1571) it was already used as a source of criticism by opponents of Anabaptism. Another edition of the hymnal with eighty more songs appeared in 1583. This is the first edition where the word Ausbund appears on the title page: Ausbund. Das ist etliche schöne christenliche Lieder, etc. Allen und jeden Christen, welcher Religion sie seien, unpartheyisch nützlich. Later editions included 137 (Europe) and 140 (North America) songs. In all there are eleven known European editions of

8610-545: The Swiss Brethren movement, mention has been made of how Pilgram Marpeck 's Vermanung of 1542 was deeply influenced by the Bekenntnisse of 1533 by Münster theologian Bernhard Rothmann . Hoffman influenced the Hutterites when they used his commentary on the Apocalypse shortly after he wrote it. Others who have written in support of polygenesis include Grete Mecenseffy  [ de ] and Walter Klaassen, who established links between Müntzer and Hans Hut . In another work, Gottfried Seebaß and Werner Packull show

8733-410: The Swiss Brethren, and the Melchiorites ". According to their polygenesis theory, South German–Austrian Anabaptism "was a diluted form of Rhineland mysticism ", Swiss Anabaptism "arose out of Reformed congregationalism ", and Dutch Anabaptism was formed by "Social unrest and the apocalyptic visions of Melchior Hoffman ". As examples of how the Anabaptist movement was influenced from sources other than

8856-523: The Turks that Hut predicted. Hut even went so far as to predict a 1528 coming of the kingdom of God. When the prediction failed, some of his converts became discouraged and left the Anabaptist movement. The large congregation of Anabaptists at Augsburg fell apart (partly because of persecution) and those who stayed with Anabaptist ideas were absorbed into Swiss and Moravia Anabaptist congregations. Pilgram Marpeck

8979-626: The ancient Unitas Fratrum. Luke taught that one must distinguish between things that are essential, ministerial or incidental to salvation. The essentials are God's work of creation, redemption and sanctification, as well as the response of the believer through faith, hope and love. Things ministerial are such items as the Bible, church, sacraments, doctrine and priesthood. These mediate the sacred and should thus be treated with respect, but they are not considered essential. Finally, incidentals include things such as vestments or names of services that may reasonably vary from place to place. For its global work,

9102-536: The area. Another visit through the area in 1529 reinforced these ideas, but he was captured and burned at the stake in Klausen on September 6, 1529. Jacob Hutter was one of the early converts in South Tyrol and later became a leader among the Hutterites, who received their name from him. Hutter made several trips between Moravia and Tyrol, and most of the Anabaptists in South Tyrol ended up emigrating to Moravia because of

9225-591: The area. With the great influx of religious refugees from all over Europe, many variations of Anabaptism appeared in Moravia, with Jarold Zeman documenting at least ten slightly different versions. Jacob Wiedemann appeared at Nikolsburg and began to teach the pacifistic convictions of the Swiss Brethren, on which Hübmaier had been less authoritative. This would lead to a division between the Schwertler (sword-bearing) and

9348-654: The attempts of their enemies to slander them and by the attempts of their supporters to vindicate them. It was long popular to classify all Anabaptists as Munsterites and radicals associated with the Zwickau prophets, Jan Matthys , John of Leiden , and Müntzer. Those desiring to correct this error tended to over-correct and deny all connections between the larger Anabaptist movement and the most radical elements. The modern era of Anabaptist historiography arose with Roman Catholic scholar Carl Adolf Cornelius ' publication of Die Geschichte des Münsterischen Aufruhrs ( The History of

9471-715: The authority of the Bible. For the Mennonite side, the emphasis on the "inner" and "spiritual" permitted compromise to "escape persecution", while to the Joris side, the Mennonites were under the "dead letter of the Scripture". Because of persecution and expansion, some of the Low Country Mennonites emigrated to Vistula delta, a region settled by Germans but under Polish rule until it became part of Prussia in 1772. There they formed

9594-630: The centre of a major movement for Christian renewal and mission during the 18th century. The episcopal ordination of the Ancient Unitas Fratrum was transferred in 1735 to the Renewed Unitas Fratrum by the Unity's two surviving bishops, Daniel Ernst Jablonski and Christian Sitkovius. The carpenter David Nitschmann and, later, Count von Zinzendorf, were the first two bishops of the Renewed Unity. In 1756, Zinzendorf founded

9717-416: The council to find a solution, since he felt Zwingli was too hard to work with. The council then called a meeting for January 17, 1525. The council ruled in this meeting that all who continued to refuse to baptize their infants should be expelled from Zurich if they did not have them baptized within one week. Since Grebel had refused to baptize his daughter Rachel, born on January 5, 1525, the council decision

9840-465: The date for a single starting point: "Hillerbrand and Bender (like Holl and Troeltsch) were in agreement that there was a single dispersion of Anabaptism …, which certainly ran through Zurich. The only question was whether or not it went back further to Saxony." After criticizing the standard polygenetic history, the authors found six groups in early Anabaptism which could be collapsed into three originating "points of departure": "South German Anabaptism,

9963-563: The early 16th century, including by Menno Simons in the Netherlands, Grebel in Switzerland, Müntzer in central Germany, Marpeck in the Tyrol, Peter Walpot in Moravia, and especially Balthasar Hubmaier in southern Germany, Switzerland, and Moravia. Baptist successionists have at times pointed to 16th-century Anabaptists as part of an apostolic succession of churches ("church perpetuity") from

10086-451: The elements. The highest order of ministry is that of a bishop. Bishops are elected by Provincial Synods usually through ecclesiastical ballot without nomination. In the Moravian Church, bishops do not have an administrative role but rather serve as spiritual leaders and pastors to the pastors. Bishops serve the worldwide Unity. The Moravian Church teaches that it has preserved apostolic succession . The Church claims apostolic succession as

10209-856: The equality of the dead before God and organized by sex, age and marital status rather than family. The Moravians continue their long tradition of missionary work, for example in the Caribbean, where the Jamaican Moravian Church has begun work in Cuba and in Africa where the Moravian Church in Tanzania has missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. This is reflected in their broad global distribution. The Moravians in Germany, whose central settlement remains at Herrnhut , are highly active in education and social work. The American Moravian Church sponsors

10332-581: The establishment of independently administered provinces. So, from about 1732, the history of the church becomes the history of its provinces. Eventually, the Moravian missions in Australia and Greenland were transferred to the local Presbyterian and Lutheran Churches, respectively. The first mission station in present-day South Africa was established by the Moravian Georg Schmidt at Genadendal in 1738. The mission at Wupperthal , established by

10455-538: The feelings concerning the social crisis which erupted in the German Peasants' War in southern Germany in 1525 as a revolt against feudal oppression. Under the leadership of Müntzer, it became a war against all constituted authorities and an attempt to establish by revolution an ideal Christian commonwealth, with absolute equality among persons and the community of goods. The Zwickau prophets were not Anabaptists (that is, they did not practise "rebaptism"); nevertheless,

10578-404: The fierce persecution unleashed by Ferdinand I . In November 1535, Hutter was captured near Klausen and taken to Innsbruck where he was burned at the stake on February 25, 1536. By 1540 Anabaptism in South Tyrol was dying out, largely because of the emigration to Moravia of the converts because of incessant persecution. Melchior Hoffman is credited with the introduction of Anabaptist ideas into

10701-510: The first bishop of the Renewed Unity in 1735. Matthaeus Stach and two others founded the first Moravian mission in Greenland in 1733 at Neu-Herrnhut on Baal's River , which became the nucleus of the modern capital Nuuk . Moravians also founded missions with the Mohicans , an Algonquian -speaking tribe in the colony of New York in the Thirteen Colonies . In one instance, they founded

10824-538: The holy kiss, as well as turning the other cheek, no oaths, going the second mile, giving a cup of cold water, reconciliation, repeated forgiveness, humility, non-violence, and sharing possessions." The name Anabaptist originated as an exonym meaning "one who baptizes again," referring to the practice of baptizing persons when they converted or declared their faith in Christ even if they had been baptized as infants, and many call themselves "Radical Reformers." Anabaptists require that baptismal candidates be able to make

10947-418: The idea of a single origin of Anabaptists in a 1975 essay entitled "From Monogenesis to Polygenesis", suggesting that February 24, 1527, at Schleitheim is the proper date of the origin of Anabaptism. On this date the Swiss Brethren wrote a declaration of belief called the Schleitheim Confession . The authors of the essay note the agreement among previous Anabaptist historians on polygenesis, even when disputing

11070-522: The influence of humanism on Radical Reformers in the three originating points of departure to account for how this brand of reform could develop independently from each other. Relatively recent research, begun in a more advanced and deliberate manner by Andrew P. Klager, also explores how the influence and a particular reading of the Church Fathers contributed to the development of distinctly Anabaptist beliefs and practices in separate regions of Europe in

11193-494: The influence of Müntzer on the formation of South German Anabaptism. Similarly, author Steven Ozment links Hut and Hans Denck with Müntzer, Sebastian Franck , and others. Author Calvin Pater shows how Andreas Karlstadt influenced Swiss Anabaptism in various areas, including his view of Scripture, doctrine of the church, and views on baptism. Several historians, including Thor Hall, Kenneth Davis, and Robert Kreider, have also noted

11316-767: The inspirationists and rationalists as true Anabaptists. James M. Stayer used the term Anabaptist for those who rebaptized persons already "baptized" in infancy. Walter Klaassen was perhaps the first Mennonite scholar to define Anabaptists that way in his 1960 Oxford dissertation. This represents a rejection of the previous standard held by Mennonite scholars such as Bender and Friedmann. Another method of categorization acknowledges regional variations, such as Swiss Brethren (Grebel, Manz), Dutch and Frisian Anabaptism (Menno Simons, Dirk Philips ), and South German Anabaptism (Hübmaier, Marpeck). Historians and sociologists have made further distinctions between radical Anabaptists, who were prepared to use violence in their attempts to build

11439-513: The labors of Blaurock. Similar to the German Peasants' War, the Gaismair uprising set the stage by producing a hope for social justice. Michael Gaismair had tried to bring religious, political, and economical reform through a violent peasant uprising, but the movement was quashed. Although little evidence exists of a connection between Gaismair's uprising and Tyrolian Anabaptism, at least a few of

11562-517: The mainstream Reformers) to arise out of the Renaissance and Reformation . Two other branches were Spirituals or Inspirationists, who believed that they had received direct revelation from the Spirit, and rationalists or anti-Trinitarians, who rebelled against traditional Christian doctrine, like Michael Servetus." Those of the polygenesis viewpoint use Anabaptist to define the larger movement and include

11685-571: The majority Hussites that did not hold those teachings. They received episcopal ordination through the Waldensians in 1467. These were some of the earliest Protestants , rebelling against Rome some fifty years before Martin Luther . By the middle of the 16th century as many as 90 percent of the subjects of the Bohemian Crown were Protestant . The majority of the nobility was Protestant, and

11808-545: The martyr stories, compared to five to ten per cent in the other accounts." Anabaptists view themselves as a separate branch of Christianity, not being a part of Catholicism, Protestantism, Oriental Orthodoxy or Eastern Orthodoxy. Anabaptist beliefs were codified in the Schleitheim Confession in 1527, which best represents the beliefs of the various denominations of Anabaptism (inclusive of Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Bruderhof, Schwarzenau Brethren, River Brethren and Apostolic Christians). Anabaptist denominations, such as

11931-404: The mass?" Zwingli responded by saying the council would make that decision. At this point, Simon Stumpf, a radical priest from Höngg , answered saying, "The decision has already been made by the Spirit of God." This incident illustrated clearly that Zwingli and his more radical disciples had different expectations. To Zwingli, the reforms would only go as fast as the city council allowed them. To

12054-427: The monogenesis view the time of origin is January 21, 1525, when Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock , and Blaurock in turn baptized several others immediately. These baptisms were the first "re-baptisms" known in the movement. This continues to be the most widely accepted date posited for the establishment of Anabaptism. James M. Stayer , Werner O. Packull  [ de ] , and Klaus Deppermann disputed

12177-578: The ongoing French and Indian Wars . Although supporters defended their work, at the end of 1744, the colonial government based in Poughkeepsie, New York , expelled the Moravians from the Province of New York . In 1741, David Nitschmann and Count Zinzendorf led a small community to found a mission in the colony of Pennsylvania . The mission was established on Christmas Eve , and was named Bethlehem, after

12300-2057: The original Anabaptists knew. But over time, and with neither written notation nor musical instruments to keep the beat, the tunes have slowed down and ornamentation has been added in. Leonhard Schiemer: Dein heilig statt Dein heilig statt hond sie zerstört, / dein Altar umbgegraben, / darzu auch deine Knecht ermördt, / wo sie's ergriffen haben. / Nur wir allein / dein heuflein klein, / sind wenig uberbliben, / mit schmach und schand / durch alle land / verjaget und vertriben. Wir sind zerstrewt gleich wie die schaf, / die keinen Hirten haben, / verlassen unser hauß und hooff / und sind gleich dem Nachtraben, / der sich auch offt / hewlt in steinklufft. / In Felsen und in klufften / ist unser gmach, / man stellt uns nach, / wie Vöglein in der lufften. Wir schleichen in den Wälden umb, / man sucht uns mit den Hunden, / man führt uns als die Lemlein stum / gefangen und gebunden. / Man zeigt uns an vor jedermann, / als weren wir Auffrürer, / wir sind geacht / wie Schaf zur schlacht / als Ketzer und verführer. Vil sind auch in den Banden eng / an ihrem leib verdorben, / ettliche durch die marter streng / umbkommen und gestorben / on alle schuld; / hie ist gedult / der Heiligen auff erden. / (..........?) Man hat sie an die bäum gehenkt, / erwürget und zerhawen, / heimlich und öffentlich ertrenckt / vil Weiber und jungfrawen. / Die haben frey / ohn alle schew / der warheit zeugnuß geben, / dasz Jesus Christ / die wahrheit ist, / der weg und auch das leben. Noch tobt die Welt und ruhet nicht, / ist gar unsinnig worden, / vil lügen sie auff uns erdicht, / mit brennen und mit morden / thut sie uns bang. / O Herr, wie lang / willtu dazzu doch schweigen? / Richt den hochmut, / der heiligen bluth / laß wer dein Thron auffsteigen! Topics Anglican hymnals Lutheran hymnals Presbyterian hymnals Reformed hymnals Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin anabaptista , from

12423-413: The peasants involved in the uprising later became Anabaptists. The common link was the desire for a radical change in the prevailing social injustices. Disappointed with the failure of armed revolt, Anabaptist ideals of an alternative peaceful, just society probably resonated on the ears of the disappointed peasants. Before Anabaptism was introduced to South Tyrol , Protestant ideas had been propagated in

12546-467: The position that the Anabaptists were of Waldensian origin. Anabaptism in Switzerland began as an offshoot of the church reforms instigated by Ulrich Zwingli . As early as 1522, it became evident that Zwingli was on a path of reform preaching when he began to question or criticize such Catholic practices as tithes , the mass , and even infant baptism. Zwingli had gathered a group of reform-minded men around him, with whom he studied classical literature and

12669-434: The prevalent social inequities and the preaching of men such as these have been seen as laying the foundation for the Anabaptist movement. The social ideals of the Anabaptist movement coincided closely with those of leaders in the German Peasants' War. Studies have found a very low percentage of subsequent sectarians to have taken part in the peasant uprising. Research on the origins of the Anabaptists has been tainted both by

12792-499: The radical group wrote letters to Martin Luther , Andreas Karlstadt , and Thomas Müntzer. Felix Manz began to publish some of Karlstadt's writings in Zurich in late 1524. By this time the question of infant baptism had become agitated, and the Zurich council had instructed Zwingli to meet weekly with those who rejected infant baptism "until the matter could be resolved". Zwingli broke off the meetings after two sessions, and Manz petitioned

12915-411: The radicals, the council had no right to make that decision, but rather the Bible was the final authority of church reform. Feeling frustrated, some of them began to meet on their own for Bible study. As early as 1523, William Reublin began to preach against infant baptism in villages surrounding Zurich, encouraging parents to not baptize their children. Seeking fellowship with other reform-minded people,

13038-490: The region by men such as Hans Vischer, a former Dominican. Some of those who participated in conventicles where Protestant ideas were presented later became Anabaptists. The population in general seemed to have a favorable attitude towards reform, be it Protestant or Anabaptist. Blaurock appears to have preached itinerantly in the Puster Valley region in 1527, which most likely was the first introduction of Anabaptist ideas in

13161-700: The same core theological beliefs, there are differences in the way of life among them; Old Order Anabaptist groups include the Old Order Amish , the Old Order Mennonites , Old Order River Brethren , and the Old Order German Baptist Brethren . In between the assimilated mainline denominations (such as Mennonite Church USA and the Church of the Brethren ) and Old Order groups are Conservative Anabaptist groups. Conservative Anabaptists such as

13284-565: The schools and printing-shops established by the Moravian Church were flourishing. Protestantism had a strong influence in the education of the population. Even in the middle of the 16th century there was not a single town without a Protestant school in the Bohemian Crown Lands . Many had more than one, mostly with two to six teachers each. In Jihlava , a principal Protestant centre in Moravia, there were five major schools: two German, one Czech, one for girls and one teaching in Latin, which

13407-400: The scriptures. However, some of these young men began to feel that Zwingli was not moving fast enough in his reform. The division between Zwingli and his more radical disciples became apparent in an October 1523 disputation held in Zurich. When the discussion of the mass was about to be ended without making any actual change in practice, Conrad Grebel stood up and asked "what should be done about

13530-475: The time of Christ. This view is held by some Baptists, some Mennonites, and some "true church" movements. The opponents of the Baptist successionism theory emphasize that these non-Catholic groups clearly differed from each other, that they held some heretical views, or that the groups had no connection with one another and had origins that were separate both in time and in place. A different strain of successionism

13653-526: The victims of the first great persecution of Anabaptists. Hans Büchl, participant in the Frankenthaler Colloquiums, is the writer of five Ausbund songs. Eleven songs are of Dutch origin. The Dutch Anabaptists wrote another eleven songs. Five songs are from the Bohemian Brothers . Many of Ausbund songs have a teaching character: Bible lessons, the Anabaptist views on believers baptism ,

13776-575: The world, including the Caribbean , North and South America , the Arctic , Africa , and the Far East . They were the first to send lay people as missionaries, the first Protestant denomination to minister to slaves, though some communities also owned slaves, and the first Protestant presence in many countries. Owing to Zinzendorf's personal contacts with their royalty, the first Moravian missions were directed to

13899-439: Was a transplant from other areas of Europe, Moravia soon became a center for the growing movement, largely because of the greater religious tolerance found there. Hans Hut was an early evangelist in the area, with one historian crediting him with baptizing more converts in two years than all the other Anabaptist evangelists put together. The coming of Balthasar Hübmaier to Nikolsburg was a definite boost for Anabaptist ideas to

14022-547: Was adopted by the community on 12 May 1727. This is considered the beginning of the renewal. On 13 August 1727, the community underwent a dramatic transformation when the inhabitants of Herrnhut "learned to love one another", following an experience that they attributed to a visitation of the Holy Spirit , similar to that recorded in the Bible on the day of Pentecost . Herrnhut grew rapidly following this transforming revival and became

14145-402: Was another notable leader in early South German Anabaptism who attempted to steer between the two extremes of Denck's inner Holiness and the legalistic standards of the other Anabaptists. Roman Catholics and Protestants alike persecuted the Anabaptists, resorting to torture and execution in attempts to curb the growth of the movement. The Protestants under Zwingli were the first to persecute

14268-521: Was at the level of a high/grammar school , lecturing on Latin, Greek and Hebrew, Rhetorics, Dialectics, fundamentals of Philosophy and fine arts, as well as religion according to the Lutheran Augustana . With the University of Prague also firmly in hands of Protestants , the local Roman Catholic Church was unable to compete in the field of education. The Jesuits were invited, with the backing of

14391-543: Was largely responsible for the mass emigrations to North America by the Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites. Unlike Calvinists , Anabaptists failed to gain recognition in the Peace of Westphalia of 1648, and as a result they continued to be persecuted in Europe long after that treaty was signed. Anabaptism stands out among other groups of martyrs, in that Anabaptist martyrologies feature women more prominently, "making up thirty per cent of

14514-648: Was named die Wachau , or Wachovia , after one of Zinzendorf's ancestral estates on the Danube River in Lower Austria . Other early settlements included Bethabara (1753), Bethania (1759), and Salem, now referred to as Old Salem (1766) in Winston-Salem , North Carolina. In 1801, the Moravians established Springplace mission to the Cherokee Nation in what is now Murray County , Georgia . Coinciding with

14637-501: Was never established by any state and therefore never enjoyed any associated privileges. Most Anabaptists adhere to a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7, which teaches against hate, killing, violence, taking oaths, participating in use of force or any military actions, and against participation in civil government. Anabaptists view themselves as primarily citizens of

14760-473: Was personal to him and others who had not baptized their children. Thus, when 16 of the radicals met on January 21, the situation seemed particularly dark. The Hutterian Chronicle records the event: After prayer, George of the House of Jacob (George Blaurock) stood up and besought Conrad Grebel for God's sake to baptize him with the true Christian baptism upon his faith and knowledge. And when he knelt down with such

14883-569: Was their first true baptism: I have never taught Anabaptism. …But the right baptism of Christ, which is preceded by teaching and oral confession of faith, I teach, and say that infant baptism is a robbery of the right baptism of Christ. Anabaptists were heavily persecuted by state churches , both Magisterial Protestants and Roman Catholics , beginning in the 16th century and continuing thereafter, largely because of their interpretation of scripture which put them at odds with official state church interpretations and local government control. Anabaptism

15006-575: Was to become the Moravian Church was started by Jan Hus (English: John Huss ) in early 15th-century Bohemia , in what is today the Czech Republic . Hus objected to some of the practices and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church . Specifically, he wanted the liturgy to be celebrated in Czech , married priests, and eliminating indulgences and the idea of Purgatory . Since these actions predate

15129-488: Was used until the end of the 18th century by the Swiss Mennonite churches. It was replaced by Die kleine geistliche Harfe and Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch of 1804, both from Pennsylvania . The Ausbund is now exclusively used in Amish worship, preserving the unique spirit of the 17th-century Anabaptists. A number of the hymns have been translated into English both in book reference form and also set to music as found in

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